The present invention relates to a mechanism for automaticaly lifting and lowering a linear tracking tone arm into and out of contact with a record disc placed on a turntable in a phonograph or record player.
Various apparatus for lifting and lowering a linear tracking tone arm are known which is pivotably mounted on a carriage slidably movable along a guide rod and has a pickup stylus or needle engageable in sound reproducing relation to a record disc placed on a turntable. When the pickup stylus is aligned with the lead-in groove on the record disc, the linear tracking tone arm is lowered to bring the stylus into the groove. When the stylus is led into the lead-out groove, the tone arm is elevated to lift the stylus off the record disc. One known such apparatus comprises a solenoid mounted on the carriage for actuating a plunger to move up and down the linear tracking tone arm with respect to the carriage. With the solenoid and plunger installed on the carriage, a relatively large force is required to drive the carriage slidably along the guide rod. Since the solenoid is electrically connected to a control unit remote from the carriage through electric lead wires, the latter make complicated surroundings around the carriage and present resistance to sliding motion of the carriage along the guide rod, thus adding up to the load imposed on the carriage while being driven.
Another prior form of tone arm lifter comprises a pin projecting downwardly from the linear tracking tone arm and a swing plate hinged to a motor board or platform of the record player. The linear tracking tone arm can be lifted or lowered by moving the swing plate to act on the pin. Since, however, the swing plate extends substantially parallel to the guide rod, the swing plate takes up a relatively wide space within the record player, and the overall mechanism is rendered relatively complex.